Monday, December 22, 2014

How Manufacturers of Skin Care and Body Care Falsely Claim Their Products are Certified Organic When in Fact they are NOT Organic!

Many companies are ignoring the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) rules, with the intention of confusing their customers into believing their products are organic. How could this be possible you may ask? Some Companies claim to be certified by only having ONE certified organic product, therefore deceiving their customers into thinking that ALL of their products are organic. Only those that can present an organic certificate, listing all of their organic products can actually prove that their products are indeed certified organic. Don't be fooled if they only send you the first page showing the company name on that certificate, without sending you the rest of the pages listing the product. If the product is not listed then most likely it is not certified organic.

Another way a Company can deceive a customer is by stating that their farm grows their own organic crops and sell their own skin care products. They generally will use terms like; "Organic Skin Care from a USDA Certified Grower" this means that they may be certified as a grower but their individual skin care products are NOT certified.

In order to receive organic certification by the National Organic Program a manufacturer has to comply with hundreds of procedures and many pages of paperwork. This includes submitting ingredients label and artwork, followed by a series of inspections of the manufacturing facility. Finally the product is inspected, all of the ingredients used must have their individual organic certification, and then once a product has been approved the certifying agent adds that product to the company's organic certificate list.

There are various categories of Organic products;

100 PERCENT ORGANIC All ingredients must be certified organic, including any processing aids. Product labels must state the name of the certifying agent on the ingredients label. May include USDA organic seal and/or 100 percent organic claim. May include USDA organic seal and/or 100 percent organic claim. Must identify organic ingredients (e.g., organic dill) or via asterisk or other mark. Click here for an example of Nature’s Brands Herbal Choice Mari Organic Lavender Body Butter

ORGANICAll agricultural ingredients must be certified organic, except where specified on National List. Non-organic ingredients allowed per National List may be used, up to a combined total of five percent of non-organic content (excluding salt and water). Product labels must state the name of the certifying agent on the information panel. May include USDA organic seal and/or organic claim. Must identify organic ingredients (e.g., organic dill) or via asterisk or other mark. Click here for an example of Nature’s Brands Herbal Choice Mari Organic Day Cream Sweet Orange.

“MADE WITH” ORGANICAt least 70 percent of the product must be certified organic ingredients (excluding salt and water). Any remaining agricultural products are not required to be organically produced but must be produced without genetic engineering, ionizing radiation, or sewage sludge. Non-agricultural products must be specifically allowed on the National List. Product labels must state the name of the certifying agent on the information panel. May state “made with organic (insert up to three ingredients or ingredient categories).” Must not include USDA organic seal anywhere, represent finished product as organic, or state “made with organic ingredients.” Must identify organic ingredients (e.g., organic dill) or via asterisk or other mark. Click here to see an example of Nature’s Brands Herbal Choice Mari Facial Wash which is “Made With” Organic.

Eating a completely balanced and nutritious diet is becoming more difficult these days as large corporate farms are taking the place of smaller, home-grown farming operations. And with some of these modern farms comes the use of new and "improved" ways of farming, which in many cases includes irradiating food, using artificial coloring and flavoring to enhance the look and taste of the food we buy, and even genetic engineering practices such as the use of GMOs.

What Are GMOs?

GMOs are genetically modified foods produced in laboratories while genetically modified crops are grown at biotechnological farming facilities. Since around 1976, experiments with GMOs have been used in agriculture to produce crops that are bigger, better, and resistant to certain insects or herbicides. However, a byproduct of this experimentation is that the plants created by biotechnology are not natural or organic and are lacking in raw and whole food ingredients. As you know, when you change the genetic component of plants that become food, this also affects the entire food chain.

While it's too early to know how GMOs will affect our health, what we do know is that artificial dyes, preservatives, and additives used in this process are unnatural to our diet. As we become more dependent on these products, we are moving away from the foods that contain vitamins and minerals and replacing them with a lower - quality source of nutrition.

An Easy and Nutritious Way to Supplement Our Diet

In 1995, recognizing that our food sources were changing, Natures Brands developed the product Supa Herbal GreensTM a super nutritious green foodssupplement that provides 100% organic, all natural green vegetables, whole grains, vitamin rich seeds and enzymes in capsule and powder form. Made from pure, raw 'certified organic' ingredients, Supa Herbal Greens is formulated for vegetarians and vegans and infused with the natural, antioxidant powder of plant - based ingredients.

By taking these green supplementsonce or twice a day, a person is able to enhance their diet right away helping to boost their nutritional needs without adding unnecessary calories to their diet. More importantly, Supa Herbal Greensare made with raw, whole food so there are no additives, preservatives, enhancers or fillers being used to replace any percentage of the product. What you get is 100% nutrition in a super - nutritious, compact formula that is easy to digest, easy to absorb and available to take on the road or use at home - so there's never a gap in one's diet. Best of all, it's "USDA Certified Organic," which means that it is the highest grade of all - natural and organic food.

What is the Difference Between Organic and Non - Organic Products?

The USDA sets the standard for what is considered "organic." To be certified organic, as in the case of Supa Herbal Greens, the manufacturer or producer must prove that all of their ingredients are approved substances as found on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Materials. In addition, the product and the company must be approved by a USDA - accredited certifying agency before they can receive the USDA Certified Organic seal to use on their label.

The USDA organic seal verifies that the product has 95% or more certified organic content. In the case of organic crops, the USDA certification verifies that irradiation, sewerage sludge, synthetic fertilizers, prohibited pesticides, and GMOs were not used. This is important to know, because in non - organic products, you will commonly find these processes and ingredients, along with additives, preservatives, synthetic dyes and irradiated ingredients. Non organics may also contain gluten, dairy, soy, yeast, corn, and even animal by-products.

How To Know if a Product is Certified as Organic?

When you are shopping, you are bound to see the terms "Natural" or "Organic" on a lot of products' labels, websites and catalogs. However, are they really what they claim to be? For the sake of whole food purity, here are three ways you can determine if the vitamins you are taking meet the highest standards possible to be certified organic:

1. If a product is certified as organic, it will have a "USDA - Organic Certified" seal on the front label or a "Made with Organic Ingredients" statement. If you don't see either of these, put the product back on the shelf.

2. If the label has a USDA seal or "Made with Organic" statement, it must also list the name of the agency that has certified them in this format: Certified Organic By: (then the certifying agency's name). It must appear on the back of the label below the company's name. If this is not the case, then the claim may be false.

3. If a company claims to be organic in their online or printed advertising, ask to see a copy of their "Organic Certificate." Their certificate will show you which of their products have been certified. If they do not have a certificate, or their products are not listed individually as being certified, then the certification is not genuine.

As the field of biotechnology continues to become more and more sophisticated, we can count on seeing more GMO foods displayed on the shelves in our markets. These foods are colorful and look good on the outside but nutritionally, they are not the same as natural food substances.

The next time you go shopping for tomatoes or fruit, ask whether the products are "certified organic" and you'll have a better idea of what is in the food you are buying and eating, both for the sake of your health and that of your family.